To Be Loved
by pikachu master
Summary: Takes place after the events of Kerplunk'd, Ben, Gwen, and Grandpa Max are on the road again. Ben has time to finally think about what happened in the woods just four days earlier. He decides to confront Gwen and talk to her about it.
1. Chapter 1

**Ben 10: To Be Loved**

Four days had passed since the incident with Gwen in the woods. She, his Grandpa Max, and himself had since started their summer-long road trip and were enjoying the sights so far. At the present, his grandpa was at the wheel and shuffling the map with a free hand; Gwen was passed out and pleasantly dreaming on her lower bunk in the back of the Rustbucket. Ben sat at the small table, his arms crossed and propping up his head as he gazed idly out the window––he hadn't a clue where they were, and honestly he didn't care. His mind was too busy mulling over the events prior to their departure.

Gwen had leaned in to kiss him––not for real, but to distract him long enough for payback on the prank he'd played on her earlier. Yes, he knew it was a trick now… but he still leaned in to kiss her. Why? That wasn't right, she was his cousin for Christ sake! It was wrong, those thoughts that hit him at that exact moment four days ago, wasn't it? Maybe… They got along so well now, after spending more time together since that fateful summer. He knew he cared for her, and he was pretty sure Gwen felt the same way about him. Hopefully… Possibly… If not, why would she even try pulling a stunt like that? Did she know he'd movie in for the kiss or what!?

_Arrrgh! This is gonna give me a headache!_

Ben brought his arms up from the table and rubbed his temples. _That's it, I'm just gonna have to talk it out with her, I'm already going crazy, and it hasn't even been a week yet… I've gotta find out. I've just gotta know._

***

Ben's heart beat so hard that he was sure it'd break through his ribcage. Gwen stirred in the back, she arched her back and stretched out her limbs, and sat up. She rubbed her eyes, he attention went towards the window.

"How long have I been out?" Gwen asked Ben.

"Couple hours. Grandpa stopped to fill up, I was just about to wake you." Ben replied, stood up, and gave his own legs a good stretch.

"Aww, isn't that sweet of you?" Gwen walked over and gave a quick hug from behind.

"Yuck." Ben playfully chided. "I figured we could look at some of the cheesy horror movies they've got for sale in the store and get some snacks… Besides, I needed to talk to you about something."

Gwen sat down in the seat opposite of him at the table, surprisingly enthused. "Sure, what's up?" Her eyes were fixed on his, and her smile was wide––almost knowing.

Crap! He hadn't expected her to give him her full attention right now, so close to each other––face to face. Ben shifted uneasily in his seat, it suddenly felt cramped and hot inside the Rustbucket, his voice caught in his throat. Over the hours on the road, he'd rehearsed a thousand times over what he wanted to tell her, and now his mind drew a complete blank––go figure. He felt his cheeks grow warm suddenly, he looked away from his cousin, there was no way he could tell her right now. He felt more vulnerable than he'd anticipated.

Gwen could tell something was wrong immediately, Ben was never at a loss for words unless she backed him into a corner during one of their arguments. His face had grown the same shade of red as her grandpa's shirt, and now he couldn't even look at her. She slid a comforting hand across the small table and rested it over Ben's––he'd absent mindedly placed it there while searching his thoughts––and gave it a reassuring squeeze. His eyes turned up and met hers, and his lips curled upwards into a weak smile, and to Gwen's surprise, his finger wrapped lightly around hers.

"You know you can tell me anything, right?" Gwen spoke softly, almost whispering. The frailty in her voice even caught her off guard.

Ben nodded slightly. "I know that." His voice came out soft and cracked as well. "It's just what I have to say, I… I'm afraid if I do that, it'll––"

"Afraid?" Gwen said incredulously, cutting her cousin short. "Fighting all sorts of aliens and saving the world several times at the age of ten, and you're afraid to tell me something?"

"But I'm afraid I could lose _you_!" Ben put emphasis on the last word. "I always felt in control of those situations, and felt so sure of myself that I didn't think of what or who could be lost if the battles turned against me… I'm not a kid anymore and I've actually taken into account what could––"

"Just spill it, you nerd. We don't have all day." Gwen's impatience got the better of her.

Ben was taken aback at his cousin's second interruption, but he looked her dead in the eyes and sighed. "Fine," he paused, "Gwen, I love you."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter II**

"Gwen… I love you." Those words echoed in Gwen's mind throughout the night, her heart fluttered every time his voice called out to her. Sleep did not come easy for her in the hours after Ben's confession, how could it? The young girl's mind raced with all the possibilities that lay before her now––the good and the bad. She was positive they could work out a relationship if they really tried; look how far along they'd come. Only three years ago the two utterly despised each other and were intolerable if they together more than a few hours. Next thing they knew they were on a summer-long road trip to hell––and would unknowingly step into a world they never knew existed––and gradually came to be friends. Weeks and months passed after Ben and Gwen returned home and there wasn't a day they couldn't find at least an hour to hang out. Gwen smiled to herself, remembering back to the day about a year-and-a-half ago, when Ben was sick and couldn't be with her. She had been so sad and miserable without him––not seeing him one day––bothered her to no end, she thought she'd gone crazy.

Ben stirred in the bunk above her, bringing her back to reality. Gwen lay there silently, listening to him shuffle around up there, his arm dipped over the edge in all his tossing and turning. She let out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding and brought her right arm from beneath her blankets. Her fingertips traced over Ben's dangling hand and caressed it. How she wished she could be up there next to him, snuggled against his back; the thought of that alone made her blush uncontrollably. Gwen closed her eyes for what seemed like the millionth time and tried again to drift off to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter III**

Gwen's dream that night wasn't a strange one––not so compared to the typical fantasies that played in her head, no, the dream she had this night was more like an instant replay from earlier in the afternoon. Ben had just confessed his love for her and she sat there holding his hand, staring back at him dumbly, not really believing the words that had just come out of his mouth. It didn't gross her out––far from it––on the contrary, it excited her to no end. Over the past couple years, Gwen had watched her cousin's transition from a stubborn, rowdy, disgusting, annoying, brat of a boy (she smiled fondly at the memories, despite the description she ran through her head) to a stubborn, rowdy, handsome, charming, selfless young man. Less and less, as the two spent time together, did they learn they'd much in common, and their differences––which sooner or later led to insignificant conflict––only helped strengthen their tolerance for one another.

By the end of their first summer, both parties had decided (to themselves) 'tolerance' played no part in their relationship, the two enjoyed being around each other. Plain and simple.

It was at the onset of puberty when Gwen realized that Ben meant something more to her. Before she turned twelve (much like her cousin) the opposite sex was yet another thing to merely be _tolerated_… they were gross. And as if an overnight change took over her body and mind, Gwen suddenly yearned for the accompaniment of a young man. Now, she'd gone out with a few boys from her class, usually an afternoon or two following class was enough for a decisive 'break up'. Ultimately, what she soon learned from her experiences with dating are as follows: the boys she could get were pigs; those she couldn't, she was too afraid to talk to; and nobody else had a thing in common with her. Needless to say, Gwen's first couple years in junior high were a little depressing.

Well, in the aspect of finding herself a boyfriend, yes, school was disappointing. But from an academic viewpoint, she was in a league all her own, straight A's across the board, even in the advanced classes. And then there was Ben. When she wasn't engulfed in her studies (even a few occasions when she was), he was always there to hang out and have fun. Whenever he was around her, boy troubles were completely forgotten––not even her studies could totally drown that out.

Gwen was completely happy being in the company of Ben, nothing else mattered when he was near. At the beginning of her seventh grade year the realization finally hit her, he was the only person that could make her forget about her worries; she never felt time was wasted when they hung out––no matter if they'd done absolutely nothing; she could actually talk to him (and vice-versa) candidly and frankly about anything… and he would listen to her. She'd put the puzzle in her mind together.

It was at the onset of puberty when Gwen Tennyson fell in love with her cousin, Ben.

***

Tears slid down Gwen's now rosy pink cheeks just before her quivering lips let her speak. "I love you too, Ben… With all my heart." Finally, weeks of inner turmoil put to rest, endless nights lying awake, afraid of how her cousin would react to what she kept in her heart, her love for him––and here he was the one to bring forth his taboo secret first.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter IV**

"Sooo… how long have you known about your feelings?" Ben asked shortly after the revelation, his voice coming up to normal volume. "I trust they didn't show up only four days ago?" He teased.

"No." Gwen replied, not catching the lighter note of his question. "I've known how I've felt since the end of the seventh grade, it's just taken me forever to act on it…"

"You were afraid too?" His question came out more like a statement.

"Yeah. When I finally got the courage, I couldn't find the proper time to tell you. Then you ambushed me with water balloons." Gwen's voice became stern with the latter half.

"Hey, it was one balloon." Ben corrected, grinning.

"Aaanyways… What happened in the woods was my way of finding out how you felt about me."

"And why didn't you kiss me then?" He pouted.

Gwen blushed slightly at the question. "I kinda chickened out at the last minute."

Ben laughed heartily, keeping his grip on Gwen's fingers.

"Wouldn't have mattered though. I would've thrown your ass over, kiss or no kiss––you deserved that much." She stuck out her tongue.

"Cute."

Gwen beamed at him and looked into his deep emerald eyes, as always, she felt completely at ease with him. When he smiled back at her all she could do was wonder what could possibly be going on behind those eyes. "So what are you thinking about?"

"Besides how fortunate I am right now?" Ben replied, taking no time at all to contemplate(Gwen's smile widened). "That I still can't believe this is happening, it all seems so unreal."

"May I ask when it was you first thought of me as… more than a friend?"

Ben didn't take any time to think about this one either, though he turned a light shade of red. "Pretty much soon after we started hanging out in the fall after our first summer together."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter V**

"I never would have guessed..." Gwen trailed off, she took her hand and brushed lightly Ben's cheek. "It must have been so hard for you, keeping in those emotions, trying to sort them, all while spending time with me."

Ben shook his head. "It wasn't so bad."

"You've said that a number of times after getting your butt kicked by aliens." She grimaced.

"Yeah… but we always came out on top." Ben reassured her with a smile. It faded slightly when he spoke next. "There's no way it could've been easier for you." He placed his free hand over Gwen's, who still held hers lightly over the side of his face, and pulled it away gently.

Their fingers entwined at the center of the table, they gazed longingly into the other's eyes; and like four days before, they inched slowly together. There was no water to be thrown into this time, no room to make a quick escape, and to reason left to back out now. Gwen closed her eyes and Ben followed suit, his trembling lips were inches from hers. He could feel her warm breath against his skin; it gave him goose bumps. Gwen's fingers dug into her cousin's hands in anticipation.

And their lips met.

Softly pressed together, a warm, chaste kiss between the cousins held for an eternity. Never had anything felt so good, so wonderful. A strand of Gwen's hair fell down against their faces; Ben brushed it back, behind her ear. He held his fingers in place and slowly moved them further back until they stroked the back of her neck. They parted their lips for only a second or two, just long enough to catch their breath, but in that short time they opened their eyes and stared lovingly at the other, and smiled. Gwen couldn't help herself but to lean in closer to him and move her head to the left and the right, rubbing the tip of her nose against his.

"Eskimo kiss?" Ben leaned back and cocked his eyebrow, holding back a laugh all the while. "And you call me a dork."

"Yeah, I do." Gwen leaned in to give another peck on the lips. "Now, let's get some snacks before we head out again, all we've left in here is Grandpa's food."

"Ugh… that's right. I've got enough money for snacks as well as movies; enough to give us something to do in our downtime for the rest of the summer."

"Aww, you plan on getting something romantic?" Gwen batted her eyelashes.

Ben groaned.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Grandpa would definitely know something was up."

They both got to their feet and hopped out of the Rustbucket. Gwen fought the urge to hold her cousin's hand, and was thankful she did, as Grandpa Max walked out the doors of the convenience store.

"Gas costs an arm and a leg, even on a plumber's salary." He joked, making his way over to his grandkids. "Where are you two off to?"

"Gonna get some movies and some snacks." Ben said, taking out his wallet.

"Alright, just don't get too much candy, you don't want to rot your teeth."

"Grandpa, we're not ten years old anymore."

"I know… I'm a grandpa, it's obligatory that I give those same old nuggets of information from time to time." He smiled and turned back to the Rustbucket.

Gwen smiled sadly over her shoulder as she and Ben continued on into the small convenience store. Ben turned to look her way after he noticed her sudden silence, the enthusiasm had been drained from her features. He didn't care about appearances at the moment, and took her hand again. She held his in return.

"Something wrong, Gwen?" Ben asked quietly.

"Grandpa." She stated. "He can never know about us, can he?" Her voice cracked.

"Soon… We can keep this to ourselves for a bit, have some time alone." He paused, and spoke up again. "I don't think Grandpa would mind us… you know."

"Why do you say that?"

"He almost ran away with an alien, Gwen. There's still a lot of people on this planet that are unwilling to branch out because of race or religion. Grandpa was able to look past the fact she wasn't even from this planet… I think he could handle the two of us together."

"And the rest of our family?"

At this, Ben could not help but chuckle. "Honestly, I think they'd marvel at how well we'd be getting along. Besides, even if they don't like it, it won't stop me from feeling the way I do for you."

"That's so sweet of you, Ben." Gwen said in mock-sarcasm, "proclaiming your undying love for me at a gas station.

Ben laughed to himself and put his arm around her waist. "With all the stuff we've been through, would you honestly expect anything normal?"

"No, I guess not." Gwen smiled and laughed, putting her arm around him.

**The End**


End file.
